The next morning, Maya opened her email to find a message from Claire. The subject line read only: Thank you for your insistence. Her hands trembled as she clicked it open. Claire had spoken with the donation registry. The hospital had confirmed what she’d long suspected.
Claire’s son, Evan Reed, had been Lily’s heart donor. Maya read the line again and again, breathless. Every growl, every whine, every sleepless night—the puzzle fit together at last. Milo hadn’t been guarding the girl. He had been guarding the heart he already loved.